Articles

Ever since the Video Recorder entered the mass market in the late 1970’s with the choice of VHS, Betamax and Video 2000, we have been using PVRs (Personal Video Recorders) to record our favourite TV shows to watch at a later date and time.

These days the choice of how we record TV shows and movies has never been greater. There are a whole range of stand-alone Freeview and Freesat devices, along with YouView and other services like Sky+HD and Virgin. You can even buy one with a built-in Blu-ray recorder from Panasonic.

With such a huge range of possible solutions, manufacturers and service providers are adding more than just the PVR element. Most recorders now have DLNA (an industry-wide standard for sharing data over a home network), Bluetooth or Wi-Fi capability along with streaming services like Netflix and catch up services like BBC iPlayer. Time shifting, catch up and on-demand are proving ever more popular ways to consume TV and the PVR still has a valuable place in the British living room.